Notes from K's Teacher

We had Parent Teacher Conferences on Thursday the 12th. Was gearing up for the worst. My friend had them for her twins the week before and stopped by after, on the verge of tears, to tell me how unprepared she was for the not-so positive things the teacher had to say. She told me not to go alone (her husband was at class for most of it). Figuring it was only 5 weeks into the school year and trying to adjust to the all-day school, there would be a bit more leniency on the requirements. Guess not.

We were totally prepared for her to tell us how rambunctious K was. [i.e. One day K came home to tell me how she got in the "red" for cartwheeling in class. (Levels of class behavior - start in green, then yellow is their warning, red - they have to sit at a separate desk and fill out a "stop and think" sheet about what they did, etc. and last, black - the principal.)]

So when it came time for her to go over K's Conference Planner, we were pleasantly surprised.

Here is what Teach had to say...
Strenghths
- Hard Worker
- Good beginning reading & math skills
- Helpful to others
- Has lots to share
Areas for improvement
- Neatness (letter formation & spacing between words)
- Listening & following directions (This has improved since the beginning of the year)
Additional comments or concerns
Kirby has made improvements in dealing with things that might not go the way she wants. K is an asset to our class. :o)

She went on to say how much she loves K, and she is a lot of fun to have in the class. She will also be moving up to the next level of reading books next week, and is in the higher group of readers in her class.

She knows all her letters, sounds, etc. (Duh! I thought, what first grader doesn't, but sadly there are a few in her class that don't know all of them. I have worked with them out in the hall when I go to K's class.) She has greatly improved on things that don't go her way. Teach said that K was having a hard time getting her letters in the right spot - not floating around in the space. And was willing to put herself in the "yellow" because she was having such a hard time. Teach laughed and told her, you only go to the yellow if you refuse to fix it, but you are working and trying to get it. Teach really got a kick out of it.

Am I a braggart? Possibly, but am so proud of her. It was a really good conference. I do question, was it better because I was expecting the worst? Do I need to change my expectations? Nah, just take it as it is.